HEALTH, JUSTICE OFFICIALS WAGE LOST WAR

Dear Editor:

Re: Star editorial (Allan Rock's dubious response -- Aug. 10).

In this editorial, you state that Allan Rock should have told Jim Wakeford,
a medical marijuana user, that he could have access to the drug that helps
him by submitting a request under Health Canada's Special Access Program.

However, the SAP is a dead end in regards to medical marijuana. Last year,
such a request was denied because there is no source of the drug that any
company is able to supply, because of its illegal status.

Of course, a medical marijuana user could easily grow his or her own
medicine, but the current laws would brand such a person as a criminal,
subject to a possible term of life imprisonment (the same as murder.).

Eighty-three per cent of Canadians support legalized marijuana for medical
purposes. It appears our elected officials in the health and justice
departments are much more concerned about waging a lost war on drugs than
they are about getting medicine to the people who would truly benefit from
it. It's a pity that they waste both the court's time and our tax dollars
fighting something few of us have a problem with.

Dave Haans
Toronto

* Dave Haans is a Sudbury native and a graduate student at the University
of Toronto.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)